Manchester City and Chelsea boosted with Bayern Munich set to withdraw from Alexis Sanchez race

If Manchester City or Chelsea have any hope of successfully extracting Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal this summer, their chances will be boosted by the withdrawal of Bayern Munich from the race to sign him.

Bayern have determined that any deal for the Arsenal superstar, factoring in both fee and his wages over a four-year contract, would cost around €150million – and despite talk of making a ‘grenade’ signing this summer, Kicker reports today that the Bavarians consider this too much to invest in the 28-year-old.

With Bayern increasingly unlikely to pursue a deal, this leaves Premier League rivals Man City and Chelsea as the most realistic options for Alexis, if he is determined to leave Arsenal as he heads into the last 12 months of his contract.

The attacker is thought to want out of the Emirates after their failure to secure Champions League football, but Arsene Wenger has been adamant that he will not sell Alexis to a domestic rival. With Arsenal in the hunt for big names like Alexandre Lacazette, it remains to be seen if Wenger’s stance will change should the Gunners bring in high-quality players who could replace Sanchez.

Multiple sources around the world, including two well-known Chilean journalists, have stated that Sanchez wants a reunion with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. And the interest is mutual, with the City manager identifying Alexis as one of his primary targets this summer.

Arsenal would have preferred to sell Alexis abroad, but Bayern pulling out of the race will complicate things for Wenger and Arsenal chiefs, who could sell the player now for around £50million or lose him on a free transfer next summer if he continues to refuse a new deal.